Braiding machines have long been known in the art for braiding multiple strands of materials, e.g., synthetic plastics or metals, such as copper or stainless steel wire, at reasonably high production rates. One type of braiding machine, which is commonly referred to as an internal cam rotary braider, has been known to the art for many years, being generally designated as the Wardwell Rapid Braider, made and sold by Wardwell Braiding Machine Company of Central Falls, R.I. (the "Wardwell" machine). Wardwell rotary braiding machines have been available in various sizes, depending on the number of strands required in the final braided output, and have been in use for many decades since the first designs thereof were made available about the turn of the century. Their reliability and relatively high speed of operation have been well recognized and such machines have been used satisfactorily over the years, normally requiring only the replacement of parts, their structure and operation having essentially remained unchanged since their original design.
As it becomes desirable, or necessary, to braid strands or filaments of material, particularly very fine copper or stainless steel wire materials, having extremely small diameters, e.g., as small as 0.0005-0.0030 inches, or less, it has been found that the Wardwell machine becomes unreliable because the rotary technique used therein produces so much tension on very small diameter materials, particularly at one stage of the braiding process, that such extremely fine filaments tend to break relatively easily and quickly, thereby automatically stopping the machine.
In an effort to braid such extremely fine filaments without significant breakage thereof, those in the art have turned to the use of other types of braiding machines, such as machines often ref erred to as "maypole" braiding machines, sold by the New England Butt Division of Wardwell Braiding Machine Company and by Steeger U.S.A., Inc. of Spartanburg, N.C., as well as machines often referred to as external cam rotary braiding machines, such as sold, for example, by Hacoba Textile Machinery of Charlotte, N.C. While such other types of machines tend to operate with some degree of success when used with relatively small diameter strands, the initial purchase and installation costs, as well as the operating costs thereof, tend to be higher than those of internal cam Wardwell machines, and the speeds of operation and, hence, the production rates thereof are often significantly lower than those of internal cam Wardwell machines.
It would be desirable, therefore, if the art could take advantage of the lower cost and higher operating speeds of the Wardwell rotating braiding machines by appropriately adapting such machines in a manner which would permit them to braid extremely fine materials without encountering the significant breakage problems discussed above and without unduly raising the costs of purchasing and operating such machines.